Gregoire-Trudeau says, with just hours before Canadians cast their ballots, she wasn't going to jump the gun.

"There's still … a long way to go, and we won't take one vote for granted – we're almost there but there's so much work to be done," she told Question Period host Robert Fife.

In the event Justin Trudeau wins a mandate to form a new government, she isn't worried about the potential personal impact of moving into 24 Sussex Dr. "Whatever things you go through, you stay true to who you are and your core values," she said.

Advocacy

Gregoire-Trudeau said that while she and her husband often discuss policy, they work separately on issues they each care about.

"I've had my own issues that I've put forward, and have advocated for the past 12 to 13 years," Gregoire-Trudeau said. “And a lot of them are focused on self-esteem in young women."

When it comes to Liberal Party policy, she says that is up to her husband and his advisers.

"I don't think is my role to direct his policy decisions -- that's his work, his choices," Gregoire-Trudeau said. "But does it mean that we don't have the conversations that are at the core of decisions?

"Yes we do, as human beings, as partners, because we're obviously shoulder to shoulder on this great journey."

Facing criticism

While her husband has been the target of attack ads and criticism that preceded the start of the campaign, Gregoire-Trudeau says it's important to focus on respect and honesty.

"Learn to distance yourself from the criticism," she said. "We have taught our children that meanness gets you nowhere in life."

The true Justin

Gregoire-Trudeau assures that her husband's public persona isn't all that different from who he is at home.

"He's a true leader in his own personality," she explained. "This is not a role that he is taking – he is being himself through this journey."

And their family life remains a focus too.

"We will still cuddle in bed on a Saturday morning, when it's possible," Gregoire-Trudeau said, emphasizing their efforts to stay "real, authentic and grounded."

"We're lucky we live in Canada," she said. "If we were living in the United States I'm sure it would be different -- all the media attention that we would get in the private part of our lives."